So, I know I'm about.... six years late on this. However, I've only recently gotten back into collecting Transformers, and I'm trying to make up for lost time by going back and picking up some of the gems from the many lines I missed over the years. So far I've been really loving the RID figures. X-Brawn was the first I got, and I love him. Prime was second, and I love him too. But then I got Ultra Magnus.... and WOW. I like the way he looks, but MAN does this seem like a crappy toy. He pops apart every which way during transformation, and in robot mode particularly he feels like he's about to fall apart at the seams. He seems to have really suffered from having to combine with Prime. Whereas Prime feels super-solid, this guy seems really flimsy. Not to mention he's incredibly back-heavy. And I can't for the life of me figure out how the gun is supposed to work in robot mode. Frankly it barely looks like a gun at all, just a random mishmash of plastic pieces bolted together. Am I missing something? Does this mold have some hidden charm I'm not seeing? At this point I'm thinking it might be right back on to eBay for this guy. It's a shame, 'cause he's not a bad-looking 'bot.
the gun mounts on his chest, and he holds it in front of him. it looks cool when done correctly. just spread the gun out like an H, and the square and round pegs on it go into the corresponding holes on each side of his chest plate. put his hands on the red handles, flip up the targeting screen, and he's ready to blow decepticons away.
I didn't get the gun with my RiD Ultra Magnus (which I also just got fairly recently), but otherwise, I really like him. I kinda like the piece-former aspect of his legs... granted, his legs are really freakin' long, but that's about the only issue I have with him. He doesn't seem very back heavy to me... a little, yes, but not a whole lot - the joints in his legs keep him upright. I also love how, just like G1 Ultra Magnus, he can carry other cars on him in his alt mode. Because of the bulkiness of the cab, you can only fit one on the bottom, but hey, that's perfect for Sideburn, X-Brawn and Prowl. Magnus isn't quite as good as Prime or the car brothers, but I think he's worth keeping around... despite his lack of articulation, Omega Prime is pretty cool sometimes.
Hmm, okay, thanks for the feedback, guys! I guess I will give him a chance for now. I do agree that it's neat that he's a car carrier that can carry the car brothers. And I genuinely do like how he looks in both modes... I guess I just got spoiled by Prime and X-Brawn, and was disappointed that Ultra Magnus didn't seem quite up to that level. I haven't tried Omega Prime yet.... maybe that will change my mind on him, too. Thanks for the advice on the gun, that makes sense. I was trying to get him to hold it in one hand, and that wasn't working out. I'll try the method you suggested, Valkysas. Well, I'll hold on to the big guy for now, and maybe he'll grow on me. Thank you both for the opinions!
Arg! I will admit, RID techinically got me back into collecting Transformers, but I think it's a highly overrated line. I have Prime, Magnus, Megatron, and various others, and while I don't regret getting any of them, they have a lot of problems. Prime, for instance, has a great basic robot mode, but without the extra pieces its alt mode is just an unmovable block. That would be ok, but all those other pieces snap together and any transformation using them is over complicated. This also makes his super mode worthless- he falls apart easily and he's back heavy (well, wherever you swing his ladder/cannon is cumbersome). Magnus has similar problems already stated in the initial post of this thread. He was simply an accessory for Prime. As for the rest of the line, there are a lot of over complicated transformations and a lot of kibble in 'bot modes. I don'y hate this line, and my advice is to keep Magnus simply because I always seem to regret getting "rid" of stuff (sorry about the pun). Another thing I wanted to throw in is about Armada Prime. He seems to get a lot of flack, and generally considered inferior to RID Prime. I would just say that I would rather have a solid, less poseable toy then a techinically more poseable toy that falls apart all the time. I really do like the way things are progressing with Cybertron and now Classics, though. We are getting solid figures and good articulation.
Ultra Magnus isn't my favorite of the RiD/ Car Robots toys but it's still a great toy. I like the car carrier mode. The colors and playability are a PERFECT update to the G1 version. The robot mode is a bit awkward for my typical tastes, but I can't say it's hard to pose, even with the long-ass legs I can still put it in many poses and it's pretty sturdy no matter what. What I LOVE about Magnus is of course the combination with Prime. IMO it's the best looking Prime combiner in all the series. A downfall to the entire RiD/ CR line is that the toys are SO incredible it makes many of the TFs that have been released since look like poo IMO. I look at Ultra Magnus and compare it to another Prime-Combining toy like Armada Overload, Energon Wing Saber, and Cybertron Leobreaker and none of them come even close to matching UM, especially in articulation. It proves you CAN make two toys that combine that are great toys on their own...and they did it six+ years ago.
kewl! RID was my 1st big modern TF toy (which i usually avoid) but hes got great detailing for a big guy. i didnt like the connecting double gun, so i modded it so that they are separate guns. pretty cool that way.
I had him for a while and liked it for a while. Then the gun broke, which is why Renidragon didn't get a gun with his.
RID Magnus is a nice version of UM, and refreshingly, isn't simply a white Optimus Prime repaint! There are a lot of things to like about this guy: - Size is good when it comes to Ultra Magnus. He's a car carrier, he needs to be big compared to the cars! Armada cars are a bit large, but they fit. - Nice detail and colors. I like the chrome bumper with the gold chrome Autobot insignia dead center. - Rubber tires. - He doesn't hold together as well as I'd like, but he still works well in vehicle and robot mode. - the bot mode looks great. Arms on mine are a bit loose, and the legs are a little too long, but the detail and posability are good enough not to diminish the figure. I love the tiny Autobot symbol on his head too. - The gun is odd, but it looks tough. - Combination with RID Prime is one of the big selling points of UM. Omega Prime is just a great Prime and a good Transformer. There's some impressive and complicated engineering here that I have to give kudos to.
Cool, thanks again guys! Shane, those are all great points, and I agree with all of them. I think I'll hold on to him. I just use my Transformers for display anyway, and he looks great in both modes... it's just the transition BETWEEN the modes that's a little frustrating. And Powerlinx Kupp, thanks for the shot of the alternative gun position. That's my favorite option so far. It actually looks like a gun in that shot.
Ahh, again, I am seeing alot of love for RID and UM. Like I said, I don't think you should get rid of it, but I still stand by my opinion on RID. To those of you who think these are marvels of engineering, don't confuse good engineering with "I don't know what to do with this... so I will just have it snap off and snap back on here!" I do like that he isn't just a repaint of Prime though, and I do think UM is a good character that deserves a nice new original mold release.
I remember cutting a deal with my sister when RID was still airing: I'd ask for Prime as a Christmas present, and she'd ask for Magnus. I wanted Omega Prime pretty bad at the time. Magnus on his own is still pretty awesome, though. The legs ARE freakishly long, but that's not all that big of a deal, I suppose. Gives him an air of command, how he towers over the rest. Problem is, I've got a thing with losing parts, and Magnus is currently short his gun and left forearm, plus the little fold-out parts on the chest, his fingers, and one of the Omega Prime shoulder armor parts. Plus a few tires. Yeah. I'll still be using him in the comic, though.
Well, I completely respect your opinion. RiD and Armada are two completely different worlds (though you haven't mentioned which, so far is your favorite line, so I'm just using Armada as a comparison point), with two very different styles of engineering. I LOVE RiD BECAUSE of the complex transformations... even the piece-forming aspect of Magnus, and Prime's super mode. I'm a huge fan of ball joints... which Prowl and Sideburn have in spades. The line works for me. On the other hand, there's something to be said for simplicity of Armada. I only have the Cybertron remolds of some Armada figures, but I think those are great, too, for completely different reasons than I like RiD. I'm also easy to please. But some people are more picky. Personally, I think we're very lucky to have so many different toylines with so many different styles... there's definately a toyline for every transformers fan.
I like RID magnus...I love RID period. IT was the line that got me back to transformers for real...after buying a few beast machines toys and then almost completing that line on clearance lol. IMO RID is still the most eye pleasing line.
I think the main reason UM is a 'piece former' is the combination with Prime. I'm 100% positive if that wasn't an issue there would be a completely different transformation.
I got the version that was put out with Prime at Costco last year. Yep, they are both parts-formers and have several fiddley bits, but they are really good for what they are and the combination is really keen. Plus the Prime makes a much better fire truck than Cybertron Prime does and that Magnus makes a much better car carrier than G1 Magnus did.
I actually liked RID more so then Armada or Energon, and if you are a fan of UM, this is the best one to get for the sole reason he is entirely original and not a Prime repaint. I also agree that he would have been much better had he not combined with Prime. (and just in case anyone is interested, here is a little of my back story with Transformers) I have liked Transformers since G1 and kinda lost interest due to video games around '90. Then, when I saw RID prime in a toyfare magaizine, I had to have it and it reignited my interest. I wasn't really dissapointed in what I got, and I liked RID overall more then Armada, but I felt Armada Prime was much more solid to me then RID Prime. I also like RID more then Energon- I hardly bought anything from Energon. I really like the Cybertron line though and now Classics, which I think seem to be superior to any of the earlier 3.
I'm not the biggest fan of RiD... I feel they really raped the Predacon/Decepticon side of the forces (Let's face it, Landfill was OBVIOUSLY supposed to be Devestator, which is why I waited for that repaint to get him). I also prefer Cybertron Prime to RiD Prime... the supermode for RiD Prime never really felt right to me. However, RiD Ultra Magnus is easily the best UM we've gotten since G1... unfortunately because every UM since RiD has been an afterthought. Hopefully we'll get a new one soon, at the very least for RiD Magnus has a worthy challenger to the position of Ultimate Ultra Magnus.
With RID Magnus. I was able to get the gun into a cool pose by peging it to his arm, but if I recall, they were primarily reactionary poses where the gun was left hanging at his side, or thereabouts. really cool Fig, though.
